1. We paid to have the seats upholstered, everything else was done in our home shop. We wanted a vintage feel, and since we don’t sew, we opted for stainless trim and map pockets to make the panels interesting. We leather-wrapped the Banjo wheel, while the stainless trim is ’35 Ford hood molding. The speedo and clock are ’47 Ford.

ometimes, Ole Henry had a tough time with change. In the Ford world, if something worked well, he was known to stick with it. Mechanical brakes and wood-framed bodies are two examples that come to mind. Today we’ll deal with the latter of those two.

Our project car is a ’36 Ford phaeton that remained largely a wood-framed body with stamped steel panels nailed over the wood frame. The inner door panels were stapled and nailed into place, using a unique trim that provided a covered slot to hide the fasteners.

For our project car, we wanted a vintage feel, a look that may have been possible in the ’30s-50s. Our lack of sewing also prompted this simplistic design. All the materials used in this project were available prior to the ’60s.

The first challenge was figuring out how to mount the panels to the wood frame doors. Chrome or stainless steel bevel-head upholstery screws and washers would have been period correct and the easy way to mount the panels. That was way too easy… we decided we wanted blind fasteners in the way of modern plastic upholstery door panel clips. It was still a relatively easy process that required some careful measuring, marking, and proper hole sizes. With panels shaped, the next problem is securing them to the wood frame.

We have seen simple holes drilled into the wood frame to receive the plastic panel clips. While this works OK for one or two times, after test-fitting the panel several times, that 86-year-old wood allows the hole to grow and the clips lose their grip. Our longtime hot rod pal Lance Sorchik helped us find the solution. As per his suggestion, we made 22-GA sheetmetal receivers to go over the holes we had drilled in the wood. Once again, careful measuring is imperative, and stay away from any vintage wood that appears cracked or otherwise compromised. Also, avoid things like door latches and hinges. Since our phaeton is a four-door, we quickly realized we would require many of these receiver plates. To that end, we took a piece of 22-gauge sheetmetal and laid out holes to be drilled. We did all the drilling before shearing the individual plates. This is much easier than making one plate at a time.

With the mounting problem solved, we went about carefully cutting the door panels from the upholstery panel board. We took a page from Ole Henry’s playbook when we selected this material, after all, it worked well for at least 86 years. After precise panel fit, we marked the desired location for the panel clip holes and drilled them to the proper size for the clips. Next, we used small screws to hold the new panels firmly in place over the wood-frame doors. A transfer punch was used to center punch each hole location in the wood. We then removed the panel and set about first drilling a 1/8-inch pilot hole on each center punch mark. Next, we drilled the clip with the proper size receiving holes in the wood. Be careful not to drill these holes too deep as precious finished sheetmetal is behind the wood. We are reluctant to specify the hole size since panel clips of different sizes are available. Find the specified hole size for your clip and practice on a piece of scrap wood to ensure the clips grip well. Likewise, drill and test the sheetmetal hole-to-clip fit on a piece of scrap metal, and finally, mount one of your clips to scrap wood for the final grip test.

With the holes drilled in the wood, it was time to mount the sheetmetal receivers precisely over the hole. We used a short bolt threaded into the wood to precisely align the sheetmetal hole with the wood hole. A tiny pilot hole is drilled for each #4 screw before fastening the sheetmetal in place. After each hole has a sheetmetal cover, test-fit the door panel. If you work carefully, the panel should fit perfectly. After the proper fit is achieved, you can remove the panel and begin the actual upholstery.

Our design approach was simple. We wanted more than just a smooth door panel. Since we don’t sew, that meant using ’35 Ford stainless steel hood trim in combination with a map pocket that is actually a small, leather lady’s purse. Vintage wind lacing and stock door handles complete the look. We were pleased with the vintage flavor of the door panels and the way they blended with the 4-inch pleated seats. We also added a grab rope to the back of the front seat and some vintage ashtrays to add interest to the interior. Rubber floormats complete the period-perfect statement.

3. After drilling the holes, we went to the metal shear and produced a stack of these simple tabs.

6. We tried a couple of different saws, but in the end, we found these handheld metal shears did a great job cutting the panelboard.

8. We then drilled the proper-sized hole for our panel clips in the panelboard and into the structural wood. A wrap of masking tape on the drill bit tells you when you have reached the proper, safe depth. Do not risk drilling too deep, as precious sheetmetal resides behind the wood.

10. A quick test with the upholstery panel blind fastener proved the holes were at the proper depth and perfectly aligned. The fastener pulled tight with the metal clip in place. From here, it was just a matter of repeating the process.

12. We held the trim in place by taking some 10-24 flathead screws and carefully grinding two flats on the heads. This allowed the screws to slide into the trim, replacing the old spring-style clips. Washers on the back side of the panel are important.

14. We made this template, and after much time finding the “right” location, we marked the door panels and drilled the holes in them.

16. Do yourself a favor and buy a spray gun and a gallon of adhesive. The spray guns are downright inexpensive at Harbor Freight, and they sure beat using spray cans.

18. So here is our finished door panel, map pocket in place, and stainless trim bolted in place ready to be covered with vinyl.

19-20. Since we were using bolts to hold things in place, we wanted nice, clean holes for the bolts to pass through. We heated a punch and gently pushed it through holes, melting the foam and vinyl. This made bolting things in place a breeze.

23. While the map pocket is bolted in place, we were afraid over time, the top of the pocket might sag away from the door panel. An air stapler placed a neat row of staples under the top fold to hold everything tight.

25. We upholstered the panel behind the back seat, and while the upholstery ended neatly, we felt a stainless steel finishing piece would add an art-deco touch. Simple fabrication is a fun project for hot rod building.